admin
Crime Reporter
Police have been accounting for a major robbery gang based in Chitungwiza which besides hitting homes is also suspected of raiding a supermarket and attacking ZX Fuels in Southerton two months ago, stealing a safe holding US$380 000.
The latest suspected gang member arrested is Samuel Charles Kangausaru alias Baba Lulu of St Mary’s, Chitungwiza who was arrested following investigations by detectives from CID Homicide Section in Harare.
Others thought to be in the gang are Stephen Mahachi (42) of Epworth, Tatenda Yasini (30) of Chitungwiza, Collen Mudyiwa (34) of Epworth, Cephas Kamutasa (34) of Manyame Park and Learnmore Chitombo (28) of St Mary’s.
They were arrested earlier and have since appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Yeukai Dzuda, who remanded them in custody.
At least one other is still being sought by police since seven were recorded on CCTV in the ZX Fuels robbery.
The gang is so far facing nine charges of robbery, but more could be added as well as some members facing charges of rape.
The court heard that on March 12 this year, at around 7pm, the gang robbed Caroline Thembekile when armed with a pistol and machetes, they broke into her home in Zengeza 5, Chitungwiza, through a window.
One of them pointed a pistol at Ms Thembekile and her children, ordering them to lie down, then tied them up using cables and covering them with a blanket before stealing US$1 300, a CCTV DVR, a Tecno A7 cell phone, a HP Laptop, a brown Bluetooth R1 plus speaker, a pair of Nike sneakers and Air Force speakers.
In their second robbery, the gang hit Charity Karonga’s home where they fired one gun shot into the air and ransacked the house looking for money before stealing four cellphones valued at US$500.
On count three the accused are allegedly the gang that broke into Fairness Mangwende’s house in Zengeza, armed with a pistol, and machetes stealing US$460, groceries and a cellphone.
In the fourth count, it is the State’s case that the accused are the gang that broke into an unnamed complainant’s house, through the window, threatened to strike him with an axe and hit him on his right foot when he refused to sit down, and then stole US$6 000 in his car, and after assaulting him further were told of $2000 and US$22 in the dashboard of his other car. Phones and blankets were also taken.
The fifth count involves the robbery of the home of another unnamed complainant and stole US$1 470, three cellphones and groceries. During the robbery there, two gang members took turns to rape the complainant’s maid before fleeing in his Land Rover.
The accused have been charged with being the gang that on May 4 this year attacked ZX Fuels in Southerton area. That gang, armed with a rifle, threatened security guards and fuel attendants at ZX Fuels, tied them up with ropes and broke into one of the offices where they blasted open a safe and stole US$2 316.
They then broke into another office where they broke into a storeroom where they used explosives to remove a small safe mounted on the wall and holding US$380 000.
The robbers loaded the safe into a Toyota Wish parked in the yard and belonging to a truck driver and drove away. On May 12, the Toyota Wish was recovered in Epworth.
The court heard that there is a clear closed circuit television footage showing all seven suspects in the gang robbed ZX Fuels.
They also robbed Muchabaya Supermarket in New Mabvuku and houses in Retreat Farm, Waterfalls, Zengeza 5 Rockview in Seke, Manyame Park Low density, Dzivarasekwa Extension, Zengeza 3 and Zengeza 5, among others.
Online Reporter